Khan Academy: An Introduction to the Ming Dynasty (1368 1644)

The Ming dynasty (1368-1644) arose following a series of natural disasters that hit China during the early and middle 1300s, adding to the misery of a people under the harsh rule of the Mongol Yuan dynasty (1279-1368). In 1368 rebel armies-led by Zhu Yuanzhang (1328-1398)-overthrew the Yuan, and Zhu established a dynasty he named Da Ming ("Great Brightness"). The only emperor in China's long history to have been born to a peasant family, Zhu had been orphaned early in life. From these humble beginnings rose a dynasty that was to be ruled by seventeen emperors over a period of 276 years.